Roman Holiday

Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Naples: April 20, 2015:

Looks like it’s back to reality as the Robinson/Schwing Roman holiday has finally come to an end, as well as Pasqua AND Pasquetta (aka ‘little’ Easter or Easter Monday). Both holidays taken very seriously by Italians with lots of food and massive, life-size chocolate eggs (teacher gifts woo hoo!). Our parents are back in the US of A for a much needed vacation from their vacanza after ten days of keeping up with their favorite locals. My Catholic mother decided to plan their vacation smack in the middle of Lent, BUT in a joint effort with every taverna, trattoria, forno, and enoteca, Italy made her dietary sacrifices impossible to keep. And according to the rule of charity if you’re offered a tiramisu to accompany a shot of limoncello, it may be (and definitely is in Italia) more prudential to accept the gift rather than say, “no grazie, I gave that up for Lent.”

Not much ‘relaxing’ was actually done in the true sense of the word, but I do know we sent our rents back to the States with a very authentic souvenir (like it or not) – the good old cobblestone crick in the hip. Our parents arrived first thing Saturday morning to the beautiful Hotel Hassler, situated right at the top of the Spanish Steps. Fun-fact – the steps were actually built by the French! Ellie and I met them early enough to technically enjoy two hours’ worth of cappuccinos (timing was not a faux pas this time). 

It did feel like Christmas morning waking up super early to finally see our parents in person after seven months of strictly FaceTime. Sam, Marilu, Tipp, and Penny were great sports and didn’t let a little jet-lag slow them down for everything we had planned.

There was a lot of ground to cover, especially because this trip was Tipp’s first time in Europe! So Ellie and I hustled up the 135 steps to the Hassler where we found the rents ready to conquer Rome with all the appropriate armaments (Penny’s iPhone 6 and Marilu’s Italian/English translation apps). While Marilu and Penny wanted to save their money for Italian leather goods and souvenirs, Sam and Tipp had already done a bit of shopping in the Philadelphia airport’s duty-free shop, purchasing their own stash of Mount Gay Rum. Both thought this was a great idea should they have opted to ‘woof’ down Cuba Libres as opposed to wine…

I will say though, by the end of the trip, Italy did a fantastic job of converting Ellie’s parents – primarily rum drinkers – into amateur wine sommeliers. As much as I wanted to immediately take advantage of the amenities at the Hassler and pour myself a bubble bath, the group made moves down a cul de sac off Piazza Navona to Cul De Sac, a delicious enoteca for lunch. It houses a selection of over 1,500 Italian wines and is known for starting the phenomenon of ‘wine bars’ in Roma. Cul De Sac, its extensive wine list, and aromatic after-lunch grappa was just what our jet-lagged parents needed pre a private tour of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel compliments of Rome Illuminated and our friend Lauren! She is a fantastic storyteller and knew how to keep the tour super interesting, preventing everyone from simply sleepwalking through the entire Saturday. And while all the artwork, tapestries, sculptures and the stories behind the Vatican left us in awe, the Sistine Chapel was the highlight. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment on the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling left us truly speechless – with a little help from the Vatican guards whose primary job in the chapel is to enforce the no speaking rule... It just boggled my mind that ONE man could paint basically the entire ‘genealogy’ of JC on a chapel ceiling upside down and on his back without any sort of modern technology to help him. Not to mention at first he refused the Pope’s request, protesting he was a sculptor not a painter. Must be nice to just be able to pop out a masterpiece – NBD. Two of his best-known sculpted works, the Pietà (which we saw) and the statue of David, were completed before he turned thirty. Not as impressive considering it seems everyone under the age of thirty these days can accomplish some BIG things worth a pretty penny…Mark Zuckerberg and his Facebook empire would have made Pope Julius and the Catholic Church today look like paupers.

After the Vatican excursion, we continued on towards the Colosseo, passing many other ancient ruins that seem to just blend in with the new. While Ellie and I are now professional walkers living in Roma, our parents had a harder time adjusting… It was also really nice to have other people responsible for taking photos and documenting our memories. Penny was our resident photographer with her new iPhone 6. She made sure not ONE moment went unsnapped – even having me pose with one of the 2500 nasoni (big noses) you can find around the city. All the walking had left us parched, but there was no need to spend a small fortune on environmentally-un-friendly bottled water thanks to the ice-cold spring water from these public fountains (or ‘big noses’).

Rome's public water fountains! 

We finally let the parentals return back to their hotel to freshen up before another meal with our infamous Italian pal, Dario, at Ristorante Maccheroni in Piazza delle Coppelle. Dario won over our parents with his Italian charm and thank-you-bottles of Primitivo reds (his 90 year old Nonna taught him well). We started the dinner (as we did the lunch) with an assortment of prosciutto, milky mozzarella, and Roman artichokes followed by primi, secondi and tiramisu (duh). So at this point our parents were not only exhausted from traveling and traversing all over Roma, but also in a serious food coma. They had NO troubles getting to sleep once back at the Hassler. The younger generation at the dinner decided to continue the night at the wine bar next door – Vinoteca Novecento – and then obviously we drew straws to see who would get to ride on the back of Dario’s moto for a nightcap at Pimm’s Good…I WON! I think I need to just invest in a monogrammed helmet to keep in his moto’s locker compartment so the “I don’t have an extra helmet” excuse NEVER applies.

Sunday was super special in that a fancy dinner was planned to celebrate the Sams' (Tipp’s real name is also Samuel) birthdays – in addition to the Schwing’s cousin Stiles who had a birthday the week prior! But before dinner, everyone spent the day in Roma’s Villa Borghese gardens and the home of a few of Bernini and Caravaggio’s famous pieces – Galleria Borghese – for a little art and culture. That evening we took the pack of Pisces to Pierluigi– an AMAZING restaurant in the historic center known for its delicious and fresh seafood dishes. We could have hand-picked every individual (and living) seafood item to put on our plates from the large aquarium on display at the entrance, but decided best to leave the decisions to the seafood sommelier assigned to our table. Wine (and Cuba Libres) flowed like water for the birthday boys and Domenica Divertente (Sunday Funday) lived up to its name. Our group was just a weee bit tardi to dinner as both tweedle dee (Ellie) and tweedle-directionally-handicapped (me) assumed the other knew the exact location of the restaurant post a few glasses of vino… Clearly we wanted to demonstrate to our parents just how Italian we’d become. And for all you New Yorkers reading this – the owners of Pierluigi also have an establishment in Williamsburg – Antica Pesa. If the food is anything like what we ate here in for the boys’ birthday bash – it should be mouth-watering. For dessert the Sams and Stiles got Cuban cigars to smoke on the rooftop terrace back at the Hassler while the ladies instead insisted on sampling the assortment of sweets.

The next day my parents set off on their own Italian adventure in a spacious four-door sedan to small towns in the Basilicata region of Italy – specifically the cities of Matera (where Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ was filmed) and Potenza. Matera will come highly recommended by my parents because as they explained to me – what was once an ancient network of subterranean slums has been transformed into a luxury destination. Basilicata has long been Italy’s poorest region, and until recently, Matera one of Western Europe’s most impoverished towns. Matera is made up of caves and these caves were all well and good for the Palaeolithic peoples, but proved less acceptable for 20th-century inhabitants. By the Thirties, landless peasants were crammed into these sassi (literally the “stones”). They had no heat, light or sanitation, and men, women, children and animals slept together. Sounds like quite the luxury destination to me! But with the arrival of smart hotels, Mel Gibson and the movie industry that followed: cave dwelling became quite chic. Sam and Marilu spent the week as cave dwellers in Le Grotte Della Civita.I stayed in Roma teaching until the following weekend where both families would reunite on the Amalfi Coast.

My new homeschooling/teaching gig for the ten-year-old boy whose mother is filming the re-make of Ben–Hur began Monday. Our first lesson strayed away from the conventional textbooks and focused on the lives of Gladiators in Ancient Rome. And what better way to learn about Gladiators, then to become one? Cue – Gladiator School. Unfortunately for the rainy weather, the sword fighting (using a Gladius – the sword from which the name derives) could not be done in the typical sand covered arena, but entertaining to watch the GITs (Gladiators-in-Training) nonetheless.

The day after the Festa di San Giuseppe or Saint Joseph’s Day (or the Italian Father’s Day), Ellie and I caught the same train as her parents to Sorrento, where we would meet my parents to drive to the Amalfi Coast. In typical Italian fashion, the train broke down about half way to Sorrento, but luckily we finally made it to Positano by way of car. Before becoming extremely car-sick down the twisty-turny roads leading to our accommodation for the weekend, we ate HUGE pizzas and balls of mozzarella in a small, local pizza spot near the train station- Da Franco.

For those of you planning to ever visit the Amalfi Coast on holiday, April is really the start of the ‘visiting’ season – almost everything including hotels, restaurants, and bars are closed until then. Thus pre-season planning took a little more thought when it came to finding accommodations and restaurants in Positano and the Amalfi Coast. The beaches are closed until after Easter and the water too cold to swim anyway. So unfortunately no elderly, overweight Italian men with Speedos and gorilla-like body hair sunbathing on the beach in Positano, just the Robinson and Schwing families overlooking the sunset from the quiet terrace of our villa – Villa Maristella. But all jokes aside, if Positano came in human form, it would be a Victoria Secret super model (with the rest of the coast and cliff-top towns in the vicinity part of the exclusive club). Ellie and I ‘cooked’ (or arranged nicely) a dinner of meats, cheeses, bread, anchovies (for Tipp – woof), leftovers from Da Franco and wine that Friday for a quiet night in. This may have very well been one of my favorite nights in Italy thus far. We stayed up late polishing off the weekend’s supply of pecorino and primitivo on the terrace overlooking the sea listening to both the Samuels recount stories from their past. And even though I could tell you my Dad’s stories by heart, backwards, upside down, and probably even while drinking all the primitivo and pecorino Italia’s vineyards have to offer, I would not have changed that night for a second – surrounded by people I love – no words or wine would do that night justice (sorry to go all sap-fest 2015).

But daiiiii (aka come onnnn), obviously these party people wouldn’t stay in the entire weekend. Ellie and I had a fun Saturday night planned with a little help from our Australian galpal, Kelly, who put us in touch with a restaurateur named Luigi. Luigi runs his family’s restaurant, Le Tre Sorelle (The Three Sisters), started by his nonna and her two sisters in 1953. After months of renovations during the low season – Saturday night was opening night for the business! But before we had cena with Luigi and his nonna’s recipes, our day was spent in the neighboring town of Ravello. Ravello was absolutely stunning and my only regret of the trip was that we didn’t stay a night there as well. It was only about a half hour away above the Amalfi Coast and nicknamed la città della musica (the ‘music city’). It’s too bad we didn’t plan the trip for the end of April/beginning of May as the Ravello Music Festival begins next week. Ravello's Music Festival falls at the same time as JAZZ FEST (!!!), but obviously with a much different lineup and atmosphere… When we arrived in Ravello, after a lengthy photo shoot of the gorgeous views on our way up, the group walked all about the town, which didn’t take that much time considering the actual size of town. Ravello has served historically as a destination for artists, musicians, and writers – so not surprisingly us girls wanted to do a bit of exploring (shopping) and check out the local art and hand painted ceramics the place is known for. And we did just that! Thanks Tipp and Sam! I’m not sure HOW our parents managed to leave the airport with so many ceramic products, but where there’s a will (and Marilu and Penny), there’s a way. I was even able to buy my wedding presents for the #VeryBlandWedding I’m travelling back to NOLA for on Wednesday (get excited Jessie & Clay)! The only thing the ceramic factory was able to ship ‘on the house’ was the table my mom insisted they needed for the backyard. After making best friends with the owners of Ceramiche d’Arte (who were absolutely lovely), they recommended we grab lunch at Ravello Garden (also a hotel) with more beautiful views overlooking the Mediterranean. Again, because we visited during the low season a town with only 2,500 actual residents, the Robinson/Schwing gang had the entire restaurant to ourselves! I had been looking forward to delicious and fresh seafood – so dining overlooking the ocean where my meal came from, probably that very morning, really hit the spot (as did the limoncello, amaro and grappa that seemed to accompany EVERY meal).

(Above) Luigi gifted our mothers heart-shaped bread rolls AND a water color of his restaurant, Le Tre Sorelle – clearly his nonna taught him how to treat the ladies.

(Above) I recycled my lunch and made a soap dish...

After a busy day of shopping and eating, the Sams sent Eleanora and I off to find a wine shop to restock what we had depleted the night before at the villa. We took the job very seriously and went to the enoteca that really stood out to us from the rest – Wine & Drugs. Although we purchased vino for the entire house to share, Antonio, the sommelier extraordinaire, convinced us to purchase a fine bottle of negroamaro from the region for ourselves, which we quickly packed away to bring back to Roma with us to open on (another) special occasion.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and the six of us packed up our belongings that Sunday to drive back to Roma for one last Italian evening to end the trip. I wanted to take Sam and Marilu to one of my favorite spots in Rome to watch the sunset – Gianicolo (Janiculum) – the hill that affords one of the best views of the city and a gigantic statue of the great bearded hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (I’ll get back to this guy later) on horseback.

After the rents left Roma, Pasqua (Easter) and Pasquetta (‘Little Easter’) rolled in and almost everyone left the city to be with family and friends to enjoy the extra-long holiday weekend.  Ellie and I took the train down to Naples where Dario picked us up in front of McDonalds* with his best childhood friends, Sandro and Mario, to show us around his hometown. Napoli to me can best be described as gritty and you can just feel in the air that its people are rough, tough and very proud, but still Southern, so lovable and great cooks. It was not uncommon to see (at least) three boys between ages of 10-13 on a single moto. Not much was open Easter Sunday in Naples, but Dario and his friends still took us to some really delicious spots for pre-dinner cocktails and pizza (duh).

* Side-note: McDonalds has come under a lot of fire, especially in the region of Naples (famous for INVENTING pizza) for a commercial it aired where a young child and his family enter a pizzeria and the adorable tike just keeps repeating ‘I want a happy meal’ (which obviously the local and authentic pizzeria could not offer). Napoletano’s responded immediately with spoof ads that have gone viral here in Italia.

Easter Monday, Pasquetta, everyone had off of work and Dario’s friend, Marco, had organized a big BBQ at his family’s home in the nearby town of Teano. Dario, Ellie and I drove for about an hour fist-pumping to my favorite radio station M Due O and definitely driving Dario mad. In fact, when we made a pit stop for bathroom breaks and snacks at the gas station, he politely went so far as to buy a collection of tribute albums (including the Rolling Stones, The Police, etc.) for a total of 10 euro to replace my less than professional vocals. Little did he know, I also LOVE The Police. When we got to Marco’s castle, I mean house, I was surprised to learn we would be grilling burgers and salsicce in the same place where historical Italian figures, the ‘fathers of the fatherland’ such as Victor Emanuel II and Giuseppe Garibaldi, once lived while, you know, UNIFYING Italy as we know it today. So that was pretty cool for someone who loves history. There was also a great ping-pong table for competitive 2 vs. 2 matches in the garage. After a Pasquetta filled with food, friends, history, Mario’s mother’s meat pies, and a karaoke machine, we headed back to Napoli with the Monday scaries for a low-key night at Dario’s apartment.

There was a commemorative plaque in the ‘garage’ that lists the big names that stayed in questo palazzo)...

In between the master bedroom and the kitchen – you can find a small chapel – with a log of everyone ever married in the home. A SUPER convenient extra for anyone who felt like eloping that Easter Monday. 

Sandro SELFIE! 

We finally made it back to Dario’s for a late night festa compliments of his parents’ liquor cabinet...

Okay, I am off to PACK for my fun-filled trip to NEW ORLEANS for the nuptials of (soon to be) Mr. & Mrs. Bland! Not going to lie, the Italians I’ve told can’t believe I already have friends getting married. Apparently, Italy is a place for romance but not really commitment...The wedding will DEFINITELY be woof worthy, but not as much wine woofing as bourbon-based drinks, daiquiris, and Tropical Isle’s hand-grenades I’d say…

Happy 4/20 you crazy kids!

a presto AMERICA,

Mallory